


Glad Tidings of Comfort and Joy

by Barcardivodka



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-03
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 11:32:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5625202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barcardivodka/pseuds/Barcardivodka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James had started to look forward to Christmas Day. But then it started to snow</p>
            </blockquote>





	Glad Tidings of Comfort and Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Inspector Lewis Fanworks Challenge Secret Santa Exchange on Livejournal for guinevere81
> 
> With thanks as always to Jay. Any mistakes or spelling errors are mine and mine alone, please do not steal them!

It was almost magical the way snow fell. The world seemed to become eerily silent, muting the roar of everyday life and filling it with peace and wonderment.  
  
The weather forecasters had been warning that it was on its way for several days. Scotland and the North of England were already buried under four feet drifts. Villages cut off, towns and cities at a standstill.  
  
Now it was the South’s turn. Snow wasn’t rare. It snowed at some point every winter, affecting the whole of the British Isles. But the Home Counties generally got off lightly, a day or two, a week at most, before the snow melted. No more than a few inches. But the snow usually came in January.  
  
Today was the 23rd December. It had started snowing in Oxford at just past 2pm. The city was now blanketed in a six inch carpet of white. But, the snow continued to fall, steadily and heavily.  
  
Some business had allowed their staff to leave early, easing the rush hour traffic. The gritters had been out in force, determined to keep the motorway and major roads clear and running. There had still been delays and tailbacks due to accidents; the roads too icy for car wheels to get a good grip.  
  
As James Hathaway made his way through the snow back towards his flat, he was grateful that his shift had ended just before the snow had started. For the first time since University he had from now until the 2nd January as annual leave. He didn’t generally do well with extended periods off. He had a tendency to disappear into his own mind. To think too long and hard over the past, to get lost in his failures and the people he hadn’t been able to save.  
  
The time off hadn’t really been his choice though. Robbie and Laura Hobson had arranged it. All his arguments had been thoroughly countered, suspiciously quickly, as if Robbie and Laura had thought of every possible excuse he might give and had come up with plausible confutations, leaving him floundering and with no option but to agree.  
  
James couldn’t think why either of them would want his company for so many days. He was to spend Christmas with them and all the days in-between until the New Year. He’d tried to talk sense into both of them, together and separately. He was hardly the most gregarious of people. What possible joy could they get from such an extended visit? Christmas Day, perhaps. He would be most appreciative to share the day with them, but he was damned if he’d been able to figure out why they wanted him for the other eight days.  
  
It was Laura in her no-nonsense way who tried to make him understand. Laura had taken pity on him and literally cornered him in her lab. She’d placed both hands firmly on his shoulders and looked him square in the eye, before saying:-  
  
_“James, you’re family, that’s why you’re coming for Christmas. You’re staying until the New Year because you haven’t taken any annual leave in six months. You’ve worked case after case and quite frankly you’re looking a bit frazzled around the edges, you’re far too skinny again. So,” she’d stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, “you are staying with us so that we can look after you. Make sure you rest and eat properly. The bathroom needs redecorating and the shed clearing out, so that will give you and Robbie something to do besides drinking beer and watching Time Team repeats.”_  
  
He’d stood in the corner for almost fifteen minutes after Laura had walked away, flummoxed over her words.  
  
He considered Robbie and Laura as friends, never daring to allow himself to acknowledge that they might mean more to him, but he’d found himself stunned to realise that they regarded him with equal fondness.  
  
He’d started to look forward to the holidays after that realisation.  
  
James looked at his watch, surprised to find it was nearly 9pm. He’d stopped to check in on an elderly couple who lived three doors down, across the road from his block of flats. Making sure they were warm and safe, with enough food to see them through. He’d been met at the door by their daughter. He’d quickly explained the purpose of his visit and had apologised for intruding when he’d found himself pulled inside by the grateful daughter and given tea and mince pies in thanks for his kindness.  
  
He had just crossed the road and had stepped onto the pavement when a screech of tyres made him look up the road towards the noise. A car had taken the corner too fast, the driver desperately fighting the steering wheel to get the car back under control, but to no avail, the car headed straight for James.  
  


xxx.

  
  
Robbie leaned against the kitchen counter and watched through the window as Laura brushed snow from the bird table before scooping a generous amount of seed onto it. Blackbirds and Starlings were already perched along the garden fence and the roof of the garage, impatiently waiting for her to move away.  
  
Robbie moved to the kitchen door as Laura made her way back through the snow, retracing her steps. The rest of the garden was undisturbed except for the paw prints of one of the neighbour’s cats and the faint tracks left by birds.  
  
He opened the door as Laura stamped the snow from her wellingtons, gratefully accepting the mug of tea he held out to her.  
  
“What time is James arriving?” She asked as they both moved further into the kitchen.  
  
“Should be here before lunch. Depends on the roads,” Robbie nodded his head towards the television in the living room, which was showing the BBC 24 news channel. Muted scenes of snowy landscapes and deserted roads flickered on the screen. “It’s not too bad around here. The major roads are clear. Might have a bit of trouble with the side roads.”  
  
“Good.” Laura stated. “I want to get the tree decorated as soon as possible. Thought James might like to help,” she smiled.  
  
Robbie placed his mug on the table as he stepped closer to Laura and pulled her into a hug. “He’s not a little kid, you know. I doubt decorating a Christmas tree is too high on his list of exciting things to do.”  
  
Laura tilted her head back so she could look at him. “Shows what you know,” she replied with a grin. “Deep down inside our stoic James is a big kid just waiting for the chance to have some fun.”  
  
Robbie was about to reply when his phone beeped. Keeping one arm around Laura he pulled the phone from the pocket of his jeans.  
  
“Speak of the devil,” he smiled. “Message from James.” His smile vanished as he read the text.  
  
“What does it say?”  
  
“He’s sorry, he can’t make it for Christmas. He was involved in an accident last night.” Robbie frowned at his phone.  
  
“And?” Laura prompted. “How badly is he hurt?”  
  
“He doesn’t say. Just that he’s at home, but can’t drive and he hopes we have a nice day.” Robbie handed the phone to Laura so she could read the message herself.  
  
“I’ll go and pick him up,” Robbie took his phone from Laura as she handed it back and went to grab his car keys. “Why he can’t have just asked…” he left the sentence unfinished as he bent down to put his boots on.  
  
“You know James finds that hard to do,” Laura reminded him gently. “He’d feel that he was putting us out if he asked you to go and fetch him. It probably hasn’t crossed his mind that not having him come would be far worse.”  
  
“He’s a daft sod sometimes,” Robbie acknowledged as he shrugged into his coat. “You coming too?” he asked as Laura grabbed her coat.  
  
“Someone has to do the talking. You two would take all bloody day to get to the point.”  
  


xxx.

  
  
It had taken them an hour to get to James’ home. The local roads had been treacherous but were passable with care. The major roads had, thankfully, been cleared and gritted.  
  
A bent lamppost was the first thing Robbie and Laura saw as they cautiously rounded the corner into James’ road. Black and yellow tape was wrapped round the bottom half of the post, sealing the panel that covered the electrical innards, making it safe. Robbie pulled into the block of flats driveway and parked besides James’ car.  
  
“How are we going to handle this?” Robbie turned to look at Laura as she unclipped her seatbelt.  
  
“I thought that you could kick the door down. I’ll knock him out and then we’ll drag him out to the car,” Laura replied with a grin.  
  
“Very funny,” Robbie grumbled, as they exited the car and walked to the front door.  
  
Laura was just about to press the bell when the door opened and James stood before them.  
  
Robbie gave him a quick appraising look. The younger man was dressed in jeans and a hoodie, making him look more like a student than a seasoned copper The left side of his face was bruised and swollen and he was leaning heavily on a set of crutches. His left ankle encased in a pristine white plaster cast.  
  
“James!” Laura exclaimed as she stepped into the entrance hallway. James awkwardly manoeuvred backwards to allow them both inside so that the door could be closed against the bitter cold. Laura reached up and gently gripped James’s chin, turning his head so that she could get a better look at his face. From Robbie’s perspective it looked raw and painful.  
  
“Did they do an x-ray?” she asked. “Jaw and cheekbone okay?”  
  
James nodded. He still looked shocked to see them.  
  
“Ankle?” Laura queried, pointing towards his leg.  
  
James nodded again. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“We’ve come to take you to our place for Christmas,” Robbie replied, “like we’d planned.”  
  
“But I … I won’t be able to help with anything. The redecorating or the shed.”  
  
“It’s your company we want James,” Laura snapped out in a cool tone. “I couldn’t give a bugger about the bathroom or the bloody shed.”  
  
James looked at Robbie as if seeking reassurance.  
  
“You’re a daft sod sometimes,” Robbie smiled and shook his head. “Laura’s right, James. We want you to spend Christmas and your time off with us. Even more so now you’re on crutches. You won’t be able to go outside with all the snow about …”  
  
“And I doubt if you’ve any food in,” Laura added. “Especially not enough to last a few days. It’s forecast to snow again tonight.”  
  
“I didn’t want to put you out,” James said quietly.  
  
Laura smiled and patted his right forearm. “You haven’t and you never will. Come on, let’s get you packed up.”  
  
James made an awkward gesture, allowing Laura to enter further into his flat as he and Robbie followed behind.  
  
“How did it happen?  
  
“A car came around the corner too fast, skidded and headed straight for me. I jumped out of the way, but slipped on the snow. Thought I’d just twisted my ankle to begin with. The car, thankfully, hit the lamppost and not me.”  
  
Robbie felt himself go cold at how close James had been to being much more seriously injured, or even worse. In his younger days, he’d been to too many RTA’s and knew first-hand what could have happened.  
  
“Next time, James. Ring me or Laura. Let us know what’s going on, alright? We worry about you and not sharing Christmas with you would have disappointed us both.” a stern edge to his voice.  
  
“Sorry.” James looked at Robbie. “I thought me being on crutches would be an imposition.”  
  
“Thought wrong then, didn’t you. James, if all you do is spend all week watching the telly or reading, that’s fine with us. I expect I’ll have both of you supervising me if I get round to doing the bathroom,” Robbie smiled. “Although, I’m pretty sure Laura’s got me the complete Time Team box set,” he added in a conspiratory whisper.  
  
James gave him one of his rare smiles.  
  
It seemed that Robbie and Laura had more work to do in showing James what true friendship meant. It hurt to think that someone of James’ age had so little experience of it. But he was theirs for the next eight days, if not longer with the broken ankle. He and Laura would show James by example what friends … no, they were a bit more than that weren’t they? They were family, an odd, strange one to be fair, but family all the same. And James would learn what it meant to be part of it.


End file.
